14 November 2016

Dillinger Escape Plan - Dissociation

To be able to go out on top of
your game, in way of your own choosing and that gives you control of your own
destiny must be something amazing to feel. When Dillinger Escape Plan announced
that their sixth studio album 'Dissociation' was to be their last after
the end of the tour schedule, it was met with a sadness and also a hell of a
lot of respect for calling time on their own terms. Their last album 'One
Of Us Is The Killer' (link to our review here) was a fantastic album
and whilst it might have seemed like it was a little too accessible, it was
also a fierce beast that would make people of a nervous disposition faint or
run for cover. So, knowing that this is the end, knowing that after this
it is all over, the question is this - will it be a last hurrah or will it be a
bit of a damp ending? Only one way to find out......

01 - Limerent Death

As you would expect, there is no time wasted with a long and cumbersome
introduction, a small drum roll and then it is straight into a grinding riff
that will have people making their decision on the band within the briefest of
moment.It then erupts into the angular
mathcore that has always been their calling card and it feels like you are
being hit by a shockwave from beginning to end.It is aggression incarnate and it is a glorious being to this album,
attack, attack, attack…...

02 - Symptom of Terminal Illness

Slowing down the speed, but not the aggression, ‘Symptom of Terminal Illness’ reminds me of their ‘Miss Machine’ period when they were
starting to stretch their collective wings.A song about the fragile nature of our existence and how it can
sometimes go south, the band are showing the panic behind these incidents and
how it can all feels out of your control as you plead for more life.It is a terrifying number about one of
humanities most common fears, a brave number.

03 - Wanting Not So Much to As To

Back on the attack and sounding like a machine gun being used in
indiscriminative bursts, ‘Wanting Not So
Much to As To’ is not an easy song for many people with its frantic
drumming, constantly changing guitars and bass that is lynching it all together
as the vocals are screamed right into you face.Even when it breaks down in the mid-point, you are awaiting the
inevitable attack - just what you want from Dillinger Escape Plan.

04 - Fugue

Using electronic percussion to
start the song, this song is in one breath a kinder one to the soul and in
another it is a bomb track that will make a lot of people confused and
scared.For me, it reminds me a lot of
Aphex Twin who has at times reminded me a lot of Dillinger Escape Plan.It does not stay out its welcome and it makes
sense that this instrumental made the cut, a great edition to their back
catalogue.

05 - Low Feels Bvld

We are soon thrown back into the
changeable landscape that is DEP all too soon with ‘Low Feels Bvld’ and you are not allowed to get your bearing as everything
is brought smashing into from all directions.It is a violate number to begin with, then it hits an almost lounge
style in the middle to give us (and probably the band) a few seconds to collect
our thoughts.It actually sounds a
little bit Zappa in that middle section, that gains really high brownie points
in my books for that moment alone.

06 - Surrogate

Oh, you strange men, how you make
the world very complicated in places.It
is very technical in places with strange time signatures and riffs; then the
chorus is almost punk in places, the bridge heads to a heavier Sabbath sound
and it is all mixed together in a way that could only be completed by these
crazy people.Then they turn it on its
head once again and you have to get your senses and bearings once more.It is songs like this that I am going to miss
from this band when they are gone, especially the strange noises at the end of
it.

07 - Honeysuckle

To have a stop/start riff that
sounds like an attack at the beginning of a song might be old hat now, but
these guys seems to have always do this better than the rest.Changing between frantic and lounge in a way
that would make Faith No More confused, this is mathcore at its most primal and
honest.It keeps time going and it also
has some slow grinding passages that make the hairs on your head stand on
end.Another great song….

08 - Manufacturing Discontent

At this point, a lot of people
will probably be beaten to a pulp and have reached for something a little
smoother.But if you are listening to
Dillinger Escape Plan, the chances of you wanting an easy ride are small
indeed.‘Manufacturing Discontent’ is another piece of sonic sound attack,
it is relentless and even when it drops down a notch, you are not given a
chance to rest as it keeps trying to find different ways to break you.

09 - Apologies Not Included

I like this song, it does exactly
what it says on the tin – it is not an apology and there will be none
forthcoming from the band; what you have on ‘Apologies
Not Included’ is a mixture of sublime jazz, crazy-assed guitar playing, a
frantic drumbeat that sounds as if it is one moment away from self-destruction
and vocals that sound as if they are fighting from beginning to end.No apologies offered and none required, this
is brilliant and will offend many people.

10 - Nothing to Forget

‘Nothing to Forget’ for me is the
only song on this album that I have not been able to enjoy or make peace with,
it seems a little too safe to a certain degree.The notes are noting going crazy, you only have a brief burst from the
drums and that is about it.Even the
edition of strings could not perk my interest at this point; but with that
being said, it is still better than a lot of other songs being released on a
daily basis.It is just a little poor in
comparison to the rest of the album.

11 - Dissociation

So, were you expecting them to go
out on all cylinders or to go sideways once again?Of course, they went sideways!This is another electronica influenced piece
and the strings are brought back into the mix as the band create music that
will loosen spines, minds, fillings and bowels when played at the right
volume.It is a song about having to
move on and not being able to stay, the vocals are beautiful here and the music
is everything you would expect from Dillinger Escape Plan – it might change a
little in style, but it is still a song that have confrontational elements in
the mix and I love that they are ending this record on a piece that is very
unsettling and obtuse by design.What a
wonderful way to call time on your career.

The words I am looking for are Fucking Hell….If that is their way of leaving us, then they have gone out on such a
high level.There is so little on here
which is not perfectly placed, even ‘Nothing
to Forget’ is worth a listen (whilst still being the poorest track on offer
here).Is it their best moment?No, I still rate ‘Miss Machine’ over ‘Dissociation’
and that is not a bad thing.They have
not tried to make an album that sounds like anything they have done before;
they have tried to make an album that brings things to a close and it is still
forward facing and aggressive as hell.I
will miss this band, they were always different from beginning to end – the
Kings are dead, long live the Kings.

8.5 out of ten – Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my time, money and
heart.

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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